


Hedgehog, on the rocks

by flying_elliska



Category: SKAM (France)
Genre: 75 Dates In The Skam Universe, Awkward Family Reunions, Bartender Eliott, Discussions of the meaning of love, Flirting, Grumpy Lucas, M/M, Quarter-Life Crisis, Speedrun Ennemies to Love, Wedding, cocktails, elu - Freeform, meaning they are bitchy to each other for two seconds but they get over it lmao, meet cute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-09-30 19:21:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20452274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flying_elliska/pseuds/flying_elliska
Summary: Lucas's boyfriend just left him, two days before he has to go to his cousin's wedding, who just so happens to be marrying the town billionaire, and his friends are all otherwise engaged...So as he arrives alone, he heads to the bar for some liquid courage.Turns out the bartender isn't having a great evening either. So he embarks Lucas in a creative quest to find him the perfect beverage......It's not a date yet. But there's still time...





	1. Hedgehog

**Author's Note:**

> ahahah i don't really know what this is apart from a weird way to indulge in my obsession for meaningful cocktails again (i actually don't even drink this much in real life lmao drink responsibly everyone) and to give Elu yet another quarter life crisis. 
> 
> for the 75 dates collection started by Suzon ! Amazing idea btw <3
> 
> True story i sort of modelled this on a castle wedding i was a babysitter at with a friend. Best gig of my life we were basically paid to eat wedding food and watch a movie and play with a toddler for half an hour because the parents didn't want to leave their kids w us lmaooo
> 
> Also if you've ever seen the movie Chocolat, it's a bit the same for Eliott, but with cocktails ^^
> 
> i have more planned too actually if ppl are interested - a lot can happen in one weekend.

The wedding hasn't even started and Lucas is already done with it all.

It will be a three-day affair. The Friday evening pre-party, the actual wedding and feast on Saturday, and Sunday to recover, with brunch and day at the spa. His cousin’s fiancés’ grandparents have spared no expense - the entire castle is decorated in lavish style, with lights and candles everywhere, bouquets of sumptuous flowers, and an illuminated fountain. Lucas even thinks he saw a few peacocks strutting around majestically.

It’s funny because he knows this place. They used to sneak around here when they were kids because this was the most intriguing place in the village and the owners were away living in their other residencies most of the time anyway. So...to be here under these circumstances feels weird. His cousin has really done well for herself, he guesses. Gone off and married the town millionaire.

And here he is, with his lagging career, and the promised plus one nowhere in sight. He knows his and Antoine’s relationship was on the rocks, but a breakup two days before this wedding ? What a fucking asshole. He’d tried to ask his friends to accompany him, but he’d had significant bad luck on that front as well - Manon was off on a last minute assignment to cover some political event in London, Imane had a romantic weekend planned with Sofiane, and Arthur and Basile were too swamped with a work deadline. Yann had finally gotten a date with the girl he’d liked for ages, and Lucas knew he would have cancelled if Lucas had insisted, but he couldn’t do that to his best friend. No use spreading the affective misery, after all.

So here he is, walking in alone. Sort of pathetic, really. He doesn’t know what he’s looking forward to the least - avoiding that one uncle who gets loudly homophobic when he gets drunk, his cousins bragging about all their latest career accomplishments and expensive cars they’re planning to buy, his aunts and their friends throwing him looks of pity and trying to set him up with every single gay person that ever crossed their path….Oh joy.

Which is why, as soon as he’s done putting his things in his assigned room in the guesthouse, he heads straight to the bar, without greeting anybody.

Rude, he knows. But sometimes, you just gotta. 

…

The castle, of course, has its own party suite in the basement, that Lucas finds by asking the way to an elderly woman with more makeup than face and overly tanned beef jerky for arms. It's a gigantic room set up like a cross between a gentleman’s club and a tacky nightclub from the eighties. Plush carpet, wooden paneled walls, several billiard and black-jack and other game tables, a few disco balls hanging on the ceiling and threatening to be used.

And of course, the bar, its counter made of massive oak jutting out like the prow of a ship, the wall behind covered in a thousand glass tiles behind shelves and shelves of the most expensive looking liquor bottles he’s ever seen in his life. The party has started, some lounge music in the background, but the energy in the room feels very lifeless, as people have gathered in small groups, talking and looking at each other awkwardly.

Lucas plops himself down on one of the designer bar stools. He knows he’s late, most guests have already arrived and the polite thing to do would be to look up the people he knows, but he won’t survive introductions without some magic juice. He needs to be at least solidly tipsy first before he heads into battle.

“Whisky-cola, please.”

“Seriously ?”

The bartender turns around and Lucas does a split-second double take. He notices two things. 

First, this might be the most beautiful man he’s ever seen. Like - next level handsome. Wild curls that seem to have a life of their own, cheekbones he could cut himself on, and wide, catlike blue-green eyes that light up the room. He looks like an angel, like music should accompany him when he walks into a room.

And two, his tone and face are positively radiating judgment.

Lucas feels a powerful sudden kick of annoyance. Of course. Of course those pretentious pricks would hire rude-ass models as staff. They’re all no substance, all flash.

“Oh I’m sorry, were you only hired to stand there and look pretty ? I mean it’s just mixing two things, how difficult can it be ?”

The bartender’s expression turns murderous as he puts down the towel.

“Well, I’m starting to reconsider what I was hired for. I thought it was because I won the regional cocktail making awards twice, and they paid me an insane amount of money to be here, but I’m starting to think what they actually wanted me to do is babysit and make gross mixers for judgmental assholes who think being shitty to the staff makes their balls bigger.”

Lucas feels a flush of embarrassment at misreading the situation, but he can’t back off now, so he scoffs.

“Wow, I bet those awards didn't test for customer service, then.”

The bartender stares at him, narrowing his eyes. Lucas feels like he's sizing him up and trying to look into his very soul, and out of nowhere he gets this strange feeling that he doesn't want to come up short.

So he relents, and sighs.

“I'm sorry, okay. Didn't mean to be an asshole. But like. Aren't bartenders supposed to be all soulful and understanding and wise and shit ? I need some support here, of the liquid kind. I'm just not gonna make it out alive otherwise.”

The bartender’s face immediately softens at Lucas's apology, and he smirks. Like he's changing his mind and just realized they were both riding off a very similar kind of generalized annoyance that wasn't actually aimed at each other. And like he knows it would be stupid to be mad at Lucas in particular.

Goddammit. He's very, very cute.

“What ?”

“Don't you think you're being a little dramatic ? I mean you got free booze and this place isn't exactly the pits.”

Lucas looks around and can't stop the loathing for showing up on his face.

“You don't know these people. They're extremely pretentious and they know every single embarrassing thing I've done as a kid. It's the worst combo in the world.”

The bartender laughs, and it flies high and lovely above the irritating lounge music in the background.

Then he extends his hand over the bar. Lucas stares at it for a minute, dumbfounded, before eventually taking it.

“Um. Hi. I'm Lucas.”

The grip is firm. His hands are calloused in a way that speak of hard work, but soft at the same time.

And he leans forward slightly, his eyes boring into Lucas's, whose stomach is doing strange loops.

“Hi Lucas, I'm Eliott, and I will be your support tonight, liquid or otherwise.”

Then he lets go. Lucas feels a flash of regret. Oh no. 

Aware that he has to be violently blushing right now, Lucas looks down at his hands and tries to keep his cool.

“So, whiskey cola, huh ? I guess there's no accounting for taste, but at least you are pretty.”

And he winks.

Holy shit, is this guy real ? Lucas is too charmed to feel insulted again. Maybe this weekend won't be that shitty after all. And well, he called him pretty first. Which was actually super rude. 

“No, forget about that” he answers. “Just make me something.”

“Something ?”

“Whatever you think I would like.”

Eliott lets out a short, surprised laugh.

“Oh, you're a risk-taker, are you ?”

Lucas shrugs.

“I like discovering new things.”

Eliott's eyes shoot to a particular bottle up on the wall behind him and Lucas sees what looks like a whole ass snake marinating in the liquor.

“Um” he lets out nervously. “You know, within reason.”

Eliott smiles at him, and puts his hand on his heart.

“Don't worry, your taste buds are safe with me.”

Then he gets to work, stopping to think from time to time. Lucas can't take his eyes off Eliott's hands as he opens up various bottles, crushes ice, cuts up lemon and herbs. Big, strong hands with long, agile fingers that are obviously very, very dexterous.

Oh for fuck's sake. He's just come out of a messy, draining breakup and he's at a family gathering. He knows people usually get wild at those sort of occasions but. He's never been the one night stand type, and this guy seems sweet and funny. He deserves better than to be somebody's rebound.

Plus the guy is working. He's probably just being nice, and Lucas taking advantage of that would be super creepy. He's probably one of those people who is just a little flirty with everyone. Right ? Right.

“Okay, I'm done.”

He sets a drink in front of Lucas. Served in an old fashioned flat bottom crystal glass, half full with golden, fizzy liquid over ice, finished with a sprig of rosemary. It looks quite innocuous, and Lucas didn't see Eliott even reach towards the snake bottle, so.

He takes a sip.

Holy shit.

This is...incredible. He's never tasted anything like this before.

There's a hint of fruity sweetness, but the tart aftertaste keep it from becoming too much. Probably lemon. A little bit of bitter, too, maybe like a martini, but herbal. And then, as he rolls it over his tongue, a surprising finishing kick that almost tastes like spice.

He takes another sip. It's a ride from start to finish. He's always thought that the point of alcohol was to get wasted but this ? He might actually enjoy it for itself. Take the time to drink it.

He looks up to see Eliott stare at him, expectantly.

“So, what do you think.”

“It's, um, wow. It's really good.” He laughs, a little bashful.”Definitely better than whiskey cola. Um, what do you call that ?”

Eliott looks smug, and damn, even that fits him.

“I made it up myself. I call it the Hedgehog. Sparkling water, herbal bitters, lemon, hint of honey. And sloe gin, which they make by marinating wild berries in gin. You generally find those in hedges, and they have to be frozen at least once before they get ripe.”

Clever. The guy clearly is passionate about this stuff. Lucas can't help but feel he's being tested. He curls the tip of his tongue inside of his mouth, tries to focus on the aftertaste. 

“Ok, but there has to be something else, like, the thing at the end, like...chili ?”

Eliott grins.

“Almost. Pepper. It's the little surprise. Prickly and fiery but sweet inside. Do you think it fits you ?" 

Lucas doesn't know what to say to that, so he just drinks and tries to keep himself from smiling too much like a gigantic idiot.

“You really like it, huh. Have I discovered your favorite drink ?”

Actually, he might very well have. But Lucas doesn't quite want to give him the satisfaction. Plus, he's afraid that if he says yes, Eliott will consider him a solved riddle and focus on other customers and he really can't have that.

So Lucas shrugs.

“Eh, I liked it. But I can't quite say it's my favorite, no.”

Eliott looks deflated for a second, but then he narrows his eyes.

“A difficult customer, then. Okay, I like a challenge. Besides, we have all night.”

Oh man. Lucas definitely needs a bigger glass to hide his smile in again.


	2. Sidecar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> another drink, some wisdom, and Lucas makes a move

"Alright, mystery man." Eliott says as soon as he finishes serving some frothy, egg-based confection to an elderly gentleman. "Let's get to business. Tell me why that first cocktail wasn't your favorite." 

He's leaning a little towards Lucas, elbows propped on the counter and wow...he's tall. And he has nice arms. _ Push you up against the wall while kissing and hold you there _ kind of arms. 

Dammit, Lucas, focus. 

"I, ummm…I don't know, it was nice. But it was...a lot. I just don't know if I like the um…ice." _Ice has no taste, you moron. _

Eliott raises his eyebrows sky high. Lucas blushes, and feels like an idiot.

"I don't really know a lot about cocktails, to be honest." 

"Well, that's obvious, you ordered a whiskey cola." Elliott teases. But there's nothing mocking in his eyes ; he's aiming to laugh _with_ Lucas, not _at_ him. "But okay. Let's go back to the basics." He bucks down and gets a bottle from beneath the bar, the etiquette hidden behind the counter. 

Lucas nods enthusiastically. He really doesn't want Eliott to think he is some sort of drink barbarian. Then he gets a moment of second thoughts. 

"But um...no egg though. Like what you just made ? That was...uh...not really appealing to me." For real, it looked like an entire dessert in a glass, the texture almost like pudding, and if he has to he will try, probably, he knows it, but he also knows him and raw egg are generally not friends. He doesn't want to spend the night bent over a toilet puking his guts out - the mixing all sorts of alcohols is going to be bad enough already. 

"Wow, no egg, no snake juice, you're a difficult guy ! I'm going to end up having to serve you sparkling water or something."

"I don't like sparkling water either." Lucas confesses. "Sorry." 

Eliott laughs. "Oh I see, you _do_ have standards. That's good. But I'm starting to wonder if a week end is going to be enough to find your favorite drink. I mean, if we're really starting from zero here..." He brings up a few more bottles and stars pouring out into a little metal measuring cup, before throwing it together in a shaker. Lucas tries not to focus too much on his fingers. 

They're very nimble. 

"Well maybe we can continue later." Lucas says before he can check himself. 

"Aha, do you mean you want to hire yourself a personal bartender ?" Eliott smirks."As entertaining as that would be, I'm not sure you can afford me." 

"No ! I meant...maybe I could come to the place where you work and...I'm sorry, that sounds weird. I'm making it weird. I'm sure you'll find my favorite drink soon." 

"Well, if I did have a fixed place to work I'd love to have you over. But I'm mostly doing events only at the moment. I'm.... Actually trying to open my own bar. Waiting for a loan request approval, at the moment." 

"Wow, really ? That's...awesome."

Eliott raises one eyebrow. "Really ?" There is something self-deprecating in his voice. 

"Yeah, for real...good bars are everything. That's where life happens, man. Home away from home and stuff." 

Eliott laughs. "That's a lovely way to put it, actually. Maybe I should hire you to do my promotion." Then he starts pressing a lemon for juice. 

"I don't know if you want that, I mean. I can't even name my favorite cocktail. Might be more interesting than my current job, though." Lucas sighs. Just thinking about his job makes him want to borrow the huge pint of beer the guy two seats across is chugging so he can plunge his head in it. 

"Oh damn, that bad ?" 

"Fuck." Lucas puts his face in his hands."I really shouldn't talk about it. Don't wanna have a pity party right now."

Eliott takes a chilled glass from the little fridge behind him. 

"I get that. But you know, sometimes telling things to an outside ear...can bring some clarity." 

"Yeah, you're not my therapist, though. Don't wanna dump my shit on you." 

"True, I'm giving you hard liquor, not healthy life advice. But you know, I don't mind. Sometimes I even like it." He smiles at Lucas, wide and beguiling. "Getting a glimpse of people's secrets ? And it's not like I'm going to do anything with it. Sometimes people need a space where they won't be judged. Or asked to fix themselves. I like being reminded that I'm not the only one that's a mess, too. People come in with all these masks, when the evening starts, pretending and striving to impress, but in the end, it always slips away. It's an equalizer. It's a bit sad sometimes. Like there are so many people who can't really let themselves be vulnerable without being intoxicated. But it's not only that. Some people get so funny and random and others so wise. Some just get drunk on having fun with each other. It's just people living and letting down their shields and wanting to be together. It always feels sort of special to me. Like they all want it to be their night. _ The _ night. To fall in love, or forget all their sorrows, or have that one idea that will set them for life."

He dips the glass in sugar. "Haha, sorry, that got deep. I know in the end it's a lot of just people getting wasted. But there's something about cocktails that is like...here, something made especially for you to have a good time. It's not just an indulgence, it's...sorry, I'm rambling. I should be the one listening to you, but I kind of get like that, you must have seen the banker's face after it took me half an hour to explain the concept for my bar." He chuckles, but there is a zest of nervousness in there too, as if he's used to people dismissing him or finding him annoying. 

And that's really not right, Lucas thinks. This man is not just beautiful. He's got soul, too. As Eliott starts rattling the shaker up and down, Lucas chides himself. Maybe he was a real dumbass thinking all flash no substance right away. Just because he was blindsided by...all the rest. He's not usually that shallow ; but a place like this really raises his hackles. 

But now he sort of wants to tell something about himself, too. Meet Eliott in kind. 

"It's okay. I think it's really awesome that you built your life around something you're passionate about." He sighs. "Okay, this is probably going to pity party town but...I work in insurance. Because it paid well when i got out of college, I needed the money and they really wanted me and that was nice, you know ? To be specifically sought out ? But last week I discovered - one of my colleagues, who basically came to the team a whole ass year after me just got promoted over me. Like I was actually the one to show him around, and now he's kind of my boss ? But I do get it. It's like, I've totally been stagnating. Because I don't really give a shit anymore. I just ...gave up on finding my true calling and now I'm stuck. I'm going nowhere and I'm starting to get called out for it, like I'm not meeting their expectations." 

"Wow, that sucks." Eliott pours out the drink, a golden orange concoction. 

Lucas doesn't know why he's telling this guy stuff about the most depressing parts of his life. He wants to impress him, god dammit, not inspire pity. But there's something about him that just…makes him feel safe. Even if he met him like, half an hour ago. 

"You're a good bartender. I feel I just wanna pour my soul out to you." 

Wow, a pun ? Where has his game gone. He's getting old. 

Eliott seems to like it though, and he laughs, and Lucas can't help but notice how it shines in his eyes too, their corner crinkling and shoulders coming up - he laughs with his entire body. It's adorable. 

Adorable ? Oh no. Hot Lucas can deal with, he's just human after all and that's a completely normal reaction to have when being face to face with a guy like that. But adorable ? 

Oh no. 

"You know, sometimes, finding your place in life, it's kind of an accident. I mean, having a calling is cool but sometimes you don't know until you bump into it." Eliott brings out an orange and rasps away a stripe of its skin, then folds it between his fingers." I used to wanna be a filmmaker, I even got into film school and I tried to set up my project but I...I don't know. I got so fed up with the people, with the process. All the pressure and people having opinions about everything. And I just got lost in my own head. I completely burned out. Got a job at a bar, and realized I really liked it, being in contact with people. How fast paced it is. Plus the experimental side of mixing drinks is really fun too. There's all this history, and you remember when you had what drink with whom and you try to recreate it...and you share recipes with cool people...try to source your stuff that is made with care...it's a fun world, actually. When you know how to avoid the snobs."

This is actually good advice, without sounding like it. Eliott is just telling him a story, and it makes him want to know more, drawing him in. It's low key brilliant, actually. 

Eliott drops the orange peel into the drink, and puts it in front of Lucas. "There you go. A Sidecar. One of the classics. Let's see if you can figure out the ingredients." 

"All right. Game on." Lucas says with a smile he hopes is somewhat charming instead of goofy. He brings the glass to his lips. The first taste is a powerful burst of sweet sourness, like biting into a candied lemon, immediately mellowed by a rich aftertaste of aged liquor and orange. A little bit like a crepe doused in whiskey. It's an old fashioned taste, but the sourness keeps it from becoming too much. He doesn't know shit but he can tell it's perfectly balanced, even if this is a much more simple drink than the previous one. 

"Oh, that's good." He takes another sip - actually he wants to down it all, but he doesn't want to appear ill-mannered. "Ummm...so there's lemon in this one." 

"Wow, that must have been hard to find out."

"Shut up! I'm warming up ! Um...so orange peel but there's more...like orange liquor, what's that one called they put on the crepes...Grand Marnier ?"

"Cointreau, actually. But okay, they're both triple secs, I'll give you that. Just one more ingredient." There is a little thrill in Eliott's voice, like he's absolutely delighted by this simple game, and he wants Lucas to get it right. 

"Ummm...whiskey ?"

"Nope, but close."

"Brandy ?" 

"Ahhh yes, but more specific."

Lucas bites his lip and shrugs. "Sorry, I don't know more."

Eliott shakes his head in mock-despair. "It's cognac, Lucas. Made in a specific region of France. That's important. It's like, you can't go around calling any white sparkling wine champagne you know ? I mean, where would the world be otherwise ? Chaos, I say, utter chaos." 

Lucas laughs. "Wait, weren't you talking about avoiding the snobs earlier ? Should I be the one running away then ?"

Eliott wiggles his eyebrows. 

"Well, that's up to you. If you stay, your ears might be sorry but your tongue certainly won't be."

_Uhh, what ?_ Is Lucas imagining things ? Because that sounds a lot like innuendo. 

"I mean," Eliott is blushing a little now. "Cause I might talk your ear off but I'm good at, uh. Making drinks." Ah, so not entirely planned, but he did pick up on it, though. 

Lucas raises his glass and winks exaggeratedly "Well my tongue is happy now, and my ears aren't complaining yet."

Eliott responds with an even bigger smile. 

"Ok, good, because I have lots more to tell you." He leans forward a little, as if sharing secrets, and Lucas follows his movement. "For instance this one drink, legend has it, was invented during World War One, and when the soldiers on leave would get completely wasted on them, their buddies would have to put them in the side cars of their motorcycles. Because they couldn't walk but they didn't want to leave them behind." 

"Wow." 

"I mean, it's sort of sad, when you think about it. But I love the whole, got your back sort of thing. And then they brought it back to the roaring 20s, where it was all about partying the trauma away." 

Fuck, that's kind of dark. But fascinating, too. He's never really considered the social aspect of these things. He already loves how deliberate Eliott is. He's always loved passionate people. As if they managed to hold on to something he lost. 

Lucas opens his mouth to reply, tell him he's a nerd but put as much affection in that as he can. Before he has a chance to, however, a middle aged woman in an immaculate beige cardigan next to them makes a disapproving sound and asks Eliott, her voice unnecessarily loud, 

"Excuse me ? Could I have a drink, if that's not too much to ask ? Or were you just paid to flirt with your customers ?" 

Eliott moves back and straightens up immediately, expression mortified from being called to order in this way.

Lucas feels a flush of shame, as if they were schoolboys caught being naughty. But they're adults, dammit, and it's not as if people were queuing up to the bar. As Eliott works to fulfill her order, Lucas keeps trying to catch his eyes, to reassure him it's okay, and a little smile escapes Eliott's tightly pressed lips when he finally does. Lucas laughs out loud then, and the lady moves away with her drink, shaking her head with a scandalized look on her face. Lucas is pretty sure she'd meant to insult them by saying that, but honestly ? If it's a sign it's not all in his head, he'll take it. 

Fuck, what happened to no rebounds ? But he feels so at ease. He knows there is something there, a chemistry that feels too good to waste. And after all didn't Eliott say _ sometimes you don't know until you bump into it ? _

He finishes his drink, and lets the taste roll over his tongue, full and sunny and a little tingly. Maybe fuck being sad and feeling sorry for himself. Maybe there's just life, and taking chances. This could go nowhere, probably will, but the flirting ? Fun. And he can tell already - Eliott is good at it. So at least he can keep him entertained until his shift ends. 

"Allright, I appreciate the education, but this isn't my favorite either. I'm afraid I'm going to have to keep you busy aaaaall night. Unless you want to focus on your other customers, of course." Lucas looks up from behind his eyelashes, trying to make his intent clear this time, while still being coy enough to give a chance to Eliott to move away if it's too much. 

The flush on Eliott's cheeks is unmistakable now, and his eyes have gone a little dark, and it's really that, Lucas suspects, that makes him feel a little drunk already. 

"No, I'll take care of you." He answers, and Lucas's stomach goes for a little loop. "I have a lot of other tricks up my sleeve." His expression is half-thoughtful, half-mischievous.

_ Damn, so that's a yes. _

"Can't wait." 

"You're going to get me fired, aren't you ?"

"No, they need someone to get them drunk, otherwise how are they going to stand being in the same room with each other ?"

"Is that why you're drinking ?"

"It was. But...you know what ? Take it easy on the alcohol for the next one. I think I might want to remember this night after all." 

  
  



End file.
